Me neither.
On the recording go to about 2hr 48min. You will see the end of the Portuguese rider’s test. You will see her get her brain scrambled for a moment. If it is blood, it never trickled down. I think she just banged herself and those overly scrubbed and shaved legs. Leave the hair on and I bet nothing happens.
I concur. I watched the ride after seeing he was eliminated, and reading some comments about blood on the right hind so I was looking intently at it. Maybe it looked more obvious in person, but I would have thought that was a dirt mark otherwise.
Regarding the leg protection - I think it is just left over from history, when international level horses did not have such extravagant leg motion, so much less likely to nick themselves. Much like fly bonnets, boots could be required to be pulled at bit check to make sure there is not something in the boots to “enhance” leg motion.
I like the boot idea; The thing about the blood rule as it stands is that it is a bright line, no matter where the blood, how much or how little. If the rule is turned into a fuzzy line, much harder to implement.
If you want effective horse welfare, adding boots into dressage just brings across the issues that beset showjumping with nasty sharp things inserted into the boots, or chemicals or weights to make the horse more active through the leg etc etc etc. People, unfortunately, do try to cheat or take shortcuts. It is a sport, it is unfortunate for this rider in this situation but good on the FEI and IOC for having a definitive rule to help keep horses safe.
Are we going to change the rule based on one incident?
Do you think the COTH forums write the rule book? Are we permitted to have a conversation?
I hope not. It’s a good clear rule that protects the sport as well as the horse.
Don’t bits and nosebands already have to get checked? I would imagine boots could be as well. I’ve always found it strange that horses are all booted up in warmup just to have the protection removed immediately before entering the big scary arena.
No. All warm up areas are supervised by FEI stewards when horses are working. No horse can be ridden anywhere else on the show grounds
We have the technology to remove the boots, weigh them, and swipe them for chemicals. If we’re going to eliminate for a small knick then we should allow boots.
Jumpers all have their boots checked after their rounds in FEI classes.
Orrrrrr we can have these horses work from time to time at home NOT bubble wrapped so they learn where their legs are and learn that whacking themselves hurts so they’ll be more precise on the placement… instead of expecting them to learn that in the show ring.
No one’s expecting them to “learn that in the show ring.” We’re trying to guard against a simple mishap like this (which can happen no matter how much the horse “knows where his legs are”) from destroying an entire country’s chances in international competition.
If you don’t want to wear them at your local show, you don’t have to.
The rules say no boots. They also say bits are required, and mouths are a common source of blood. Maybe they should be allowed bitless, too! /s
The only unfortunate thing is the markings on the horse making this more visible. It’s pretty likely no one would have noticed without that white sock, clipped to nearly bare skin. That’s the luck of the draw, no one can really control that.
Ironically, I’ve seen a boom in showjumping where people go in with nothing on! FEI level, 1.60m+ with no boots, wraps, or otherwise.
I know…what is with the surgical clip job? Heck I’ve seen surgical sites not clipped that short. Maybe that is abuse? The hair is there for a reason.
Susan
I don’t get it either. Folks don’t clip whiskers anymore, but they seem to overcompensate with the rest of the horse.
Agree, Something I read or heard many years ago about horses (paraphrasing): “It’s the smart ones who notice something different. They’re the survivors.”
Busting splint bones doesn’t teach a horse a damned thing. Bruising splint bones doesn’t teach a horse a damned thing.
We use wraps/boots to protect our horses from mishaps and/or imperfect conformation.
I would be fine with allowing bitless!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
